2016 Pet Blogger Challenge

01•09•16

Where does the time go? Somehow it’s time for the SIXTH annual pet blogger challenge, hosted by the wonderful people (plus Ty and Buster!) at GoPetFriendly.com.

Hard to believe, but I participated in 2011 (baby Cooper appeared in that one!), 2013, 2014, and 2015. (I missed 2012 because it was the same day as one of my surgeries, but I would’ve participated otherwise!)

I’m excited and also nervous to think through all these responses. Frankly, 2015 was a shit storm. Beginning to end. You all know Lukey’s journey–diagnosis to amputation to loss of my big yellow dog in eight months–and there’s been so much else going on that I haven’t shared here. So, who knows what’s going to come out as I dive into all this introspection:

1. How long have you been blogging? And, for anyone who is visiting for the first time, please give a quick description of the subject of your blog.

I started this blog in May 2009. I posted twice that month then got really up and running the first week of June, but due to an error on my part (I’m still not sure what I did, btw) those May posts are lost in the internet ether. Anyway, my blog is obsessed with dogs, anything dog-related, which I tell in the context of my pups. There’s also a good bit of cat that creeps in, featuring miss Newt, and I hope to grow cat content in the coming year.

2. What is the one thing that you accomplished during 2015, either on your blog or because of it, that made you most proud?

At the tail end of the year, within the last week of December, I signed on to manage the BlogPaws blog. It’s a contract gig in the community I love that I never would’ve gotten without this space. I can’t exactly say I’m making my living with my blog, but I’m at a place now where I’m making a living–BlogPaws, Pet Age Magazine, etc.–because of my blog. That’s pretty darn cool.

3. Which of your blog posts was your favorite this year and why? (Please include a link.)

4. A common theme from last year’s challenge was that many of us wanted to increase the size of our audiences. Whether or not we intend to monetize our blogs, it seems we’d all like to reach more people. It feels good to know that we’re connecting with others, sharing a laugh or supporting a cause, and it’s motivating to see those numbers grow! What is one thing you’ve done in the past year that has brought more traffic to your blog?

So, I don’t think anyone starts a blog with the hope that no one reads it, right? You blog because you have something to say, and you want people to hear you say it. Thing is, there are lots of people talking. One thing I strove for in 2015 was to strip away any writing that was for someone else. I think because it was such an emotional, stressful, chaotic year, it was easier to do that naturally. I didn’t have time to think about an “audience” and what they’d want. I know I still held back in some places, so I’ll work on that, where appropriate. But, despite posting half as many times in 2015 as I did in 2014, my traffic didn’t wane. It held steady. I believe it was because of how I was writing, not what I was writing. Because it was fewer posts but the same traffic, I’m calling that growth!

5. Which of your blog posts got the most traffic this year? Why do you think it was so popular? (Please include a link.)

Miles above the rest: Boredom Busters: 5 Ways to Exercise Your Dog Indoors. Being totally honest… this isn’t that great of a post. It’s on my lists of posts that NEED to be updated. Just look at that photography. Shudder. But, a Facebook page with more than half a million likes shared it. It’s been shared on Facebook 2,000 times. Gulp. Lesson here? Don’t post something that isn’t polished because you just never know. (Of course, I have NOT learned that lesson and continue to post unpolished pieces… but YOU can learn from my mistakes!)

6. What is one blog that you read religiously – other than your own – and what makes you such a devoted reader? (Please include a link.)

One?! Holy moly. Truth: I have a Feedly feed set up with 60+ pet-related blogs, and my Bloglovin’ feed has a couple dozen non-pet-related blogs. I lurve blogs. I’m not great at commenting (sorry) because I have so many to read!

Picking just one is painful, but I gotta say that I will never, ever, EVER miss a single post from oh melvin (and yo jake). For one thing, our stories have had many parallels. For another, she writes how I feel but can never articulate. That’s invaluable. Plus, I’m completely obsessed with how beautiful her house is in the background of all her wonderful pics. If you haven’t read her blog, go read it right now. It’s way better than this post, so please click away and go binge read! 🙂

7. What resources do you rely on to enhance your technical, writing, photography, social media, or other skills that improve your blog?

Other blogs, fo’ sho’. Also, I desperately need to take a photography course (and/or get a camera) because, no joke, my photography is awful. My phone tries its best, but its best isn’t good enough. I’m a fan of in-person learning, so I love conferences like BlogPaws. I’m also a huge reader but haven’t spent much time searching out blogging book resources. If you have any recommendations, I’d love for you to share!

8. What is the best piece of advice you can offer other bloggers?

Do not try to be anything but you. In Facebook groups and webinars and casual conversation, I hear people lament again and again: There are too many pet bloggers. I’ll never build an audience because they’re spread too thin. Everyone’s doing the same thing. I’ll never stand out. Not with that attitude you won’t! There’s room for all of us IF everyone is writing in their own unique voice. There’s the rub. If you’re trying to be all things to all people or write how you think your prospective audience would want you to write, you’ll never be genuine, never authentic, and never successful. End of story. There’s room for every single unique voice, so don’t try to sound like anyone or everyone else. Aside: You’re not for everyone, and that’s okay. When you harness your voice and your style and you learn how to express who you are, some people will leave. And that’s perfectly fine.

9. What is your vision for your blog in 2016? Do you have specific goals?

I’m a goal-oriented person. I like to work towards something. This year, though, I’m sort of making my goal a non-goal. I want to re-focus on the writing.

Sure, making money matters, but forgive my tangent for a second: Brands work with bloggers because they know that bloggers have developed a trusting relationship with their readers. That’s valuable to a brand trying to sell something. Bloggers who treat sponsored posts as if they’re doing the brands a favor? That’s going to fall by the wayside (in that those bloggers won’t get the paid work), says my crystal ball of blogging future. Brands won’t hire those folks because they’re not earning the engagement that brands need. It’s natural growth and evolution because, don’t forget, this is still a relatively new industry. That said, if sponsored posts or campaign opportunities come my way–and I hope they do because otherwise this is an expensive hobby–I’m only taking opportunities with brands who are okay with storytelling rather than straight product reviews. Those are boring, and they’re not doing any of us (me or the brand or my dear readers) a favor because people just don’t read them.

I guess, overall, storytelling is my vision for the blog. It’s where my strengths lie, I think, and what I’d like to develop further.

10. You have the attention of the pet blogging community – is there one blogging challenge you’d like help with, or one aspect of your blog that you’d like input on?

What is the sweet spot for posting? Sometimes I’ll go a week without opening Feedly, and some blogs will have like 14 posts that there’s no way I can get through. Other blogs go weeks without posting, and I start to miss them! In a weird way, I’m trying to figure out my minimum number of posts per week to stay relevant… I want to cut back because I want to chip away at a book(!!)… but I don’t want to lose momentum either.

Holy cow. If you made it all the way to the end, thank you. Big time. In the past, I’ve spent a week or so combing through the other posts shared in the challenge, and I plan to do the same this year. I’ve learned so much by reading through others’ responses! Really looking forward to reading yours!

Thanks to GoPetFriendly.com for hosting this again!

Hugs to you all for getting to this point! And for just being awesome! 🙂

Sharing is caring!

Related

Comments

I love your tough talk about sponsored posts! Food for thought, for sure. I do try to take a storytelling approach in my blog when doing reviews, so I’m not just spouting off the script, but it can be tough to get creative in that space. When it works, though, it really works. One of my product reviews from last year was one of my highest-ranking posts of all time. Pretty proud of that.

I love what you wrote about sponsored posts and story telling. I have only had a few sponsored posts so I’m definitely not an expert, but I do worry about the same thing …how to keep them fun and interesting and true to my writing style and my reader’s interests and still sell the product. It’s a tricky thing.

I think you ended up having a pretty good year considering all you have been dealing with, and what a tough year it has been for you personally. Keeping going at all is more than a lot of people can do in that situation.
I love everything you said, and agree with so much; especially the part about staying authentic to your voice. I try hard to do what makes me happy, while only worrying a little bit about whether it makes everyone else happy. And you are so right – you can’t please everyone anyway, so if you lose some readers, that is to be expected (I try not to let it hurt my feelings too much when I lose a subscriber, luckily it doesn’t happen too often). Not every blog is for everyone.
I also agree about sponsored posts. I try very hard to weave reviews into a story about the pets, and at the least to have some fun photos to make it more personal. There is nothing worse, IMO, than a dry post that just gives all the details about a product. There has to be more to keep my attention, unless it’s a product I’m really, really interested in.
I’m not sure about number of posts. I think there can be too many (such as every day), but there can also be not enough. I would think a minimum of 2-3 per week would keep people interested. I do 5, occasionally 6, but that’s because that’s what I want to do!

Congrats on the exciting news about helping to manage the BlogPaws blog! Very cool. 🙂

I’ve been wondering about your question about how often to post too and whether there’s a sweet spot. I think as long as you have something interesting to say, maybe it doesn’t matter if you post often, but long gaps between posts cause people to wander away even if they usually like what you post. Honestly, I don’t see how some people post almost every day. Kudos to them, but I think I would go insane from not having enough time for myself and my family. Even poor Haley would get neglected, lol!

That’s awesome you’re making a living because of your blog! Congrats on becoming the blog manager at BlogPaws! I’m going to try and make it to BlogPaws this year. What are you doing for Pet Age Magazine? I think the sweet spot for posting depends on the blogger and the readers of the blog. That being said my goal this year is to write 3 posts a week. All the best to you in 2016!

Even though I’ve decided not to participate in the pet blogger challenge this year (because one of the blogging truths I discovered about myself is that I don’t really enjoy blogging about blogging), I LOVE reading them!

Oh Melvin is a newer favorite of mine, discovered just this past year. So honest and heartfelt.

I’m astonished at how much you’ve accomplished in an unbelievably tough year, and I’m proud that I was able to work with you in your new BlogPaws role as well.

I love that you talked about the storytelling when working with brands. I saw that early on and started moving away from straight up reviews. I really started working in 2015 to weave what I promote into our story and lifestyle. I’ve seen so many bloggers and people comment that they will pass over reading a blog post if it’s just one big advertisement. Eventually that information is going to trickle down for brands and they will be looking for deeper relationships with fewer bloggers.

Thanks for taking the Challenge this year, Maggie. Given the year you had, I wouldn’t have been surprised if you just wanted to close that door and not look back. I think you’re hitting the nail on the head with your predictions of where pet blogging is going. We need to tap into our own creativity, develop our unique voice and style, and let the cards fall where they may. Everyone has a tribe, but you can’t find yours if you’re pretending to be someone you’re not. I’m always excited to read your posts, and I’m looking forward to seeing how your blog changes this year.

I post twice a week, but posting consistently once per week would be enough to keep my attention. I think about it this way … I call my parents once a week and we catch up on all the important stuff that’s happened since we last spoke. If I talked to them everyday, I’d hear about how the red sock got washed with the white laundry, and how old the mail carriers kids are now. It would be more information than I’d need to have. One consistent, high quality post a week is all I’d need to keep up with what’s going on with one of my favoritest bloggers – and I’d look forward to reading it every week!

Congratulations on your new position with BlogPaws – I hope this is just the beginning of a wonderful 2016 for you.

Awesome. I really need resources to help with my injured 8 month old pit mix Diamond. She and I were assualted and have serious injuries. It hurts my heart to see her struggle to move eat and drink. Looking forward to her recovery.